Artificial bait.



No. 781,794. PATENTED FEB. 7, 1905. G. H. SMITH.

ARTIFICIAL BAIT.

APPLIOATION nun JULY 21, 1904.

g b8 Inventor Ht'comegs Patented February '7', 1905.

PATENT EEIcE.

CHARLES HENRY SMITH, OF LAGRANGE, INDIANA.

ARTlFICIAL BAIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,794, dated February '7, 1905.

Application filed July 27, 1904. Serial No. 218,397.

7'0 r.// whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H ENRY SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lagrange, in the county of Lagrange and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Artificial Bait, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to artificial fish-bait, and has for its object to improve the construction and produce a device which will closely simulate the movements of a live fish or minnow while being drawn through the water.

With these. and other objects in view,which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specifi -ation, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

ln the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device. Figs. 2, 3, r, and 5 are plan views of the operative portions of the device, illustrating the relative positions of the parts during the various stages of the operation.

The body 10 will be, of the usual form and of the usual materials and resembles the outlines of a small fish or minnow and is provided with numerous hooks 11 and supplied with a draft-line 12 at the forward or head end by which the device will be drawn through the water, as from a moving boat or the like.

At the rear or tail end of the body 10 a frame 13, preferably of wire, is mounted to swing laterally and in a vertical position, as by spaced staples 1115, the frame resembling the outlines of the tail of the fish.

Extending forwardly of the frame 13 is a tin 1t), and mounted to swing laterally from the rear portion of the frame 13 is a fin 17, resembling the tail of a fish, the member 17 thus conforming closely to the outlines of the frame 13 and swinging within it, as shown.

Attached to the frame 13 are spaced guards 18 19, extending into the path of the member 17 and limiting its lateral movement.

'hen lying stationary in the water, the member 13, with its attached fins 16 and 17, will remain in alinement with the longitudinal plane of the body 10, as in Fig. 2. \Vhen the device is drawn through the water, the fin 16 will be turned to one sid and carry the rear portion of the member 13 to the opposite side, causing the member 17 to first as smne a position parallel to the line of movement, and as the movement continues the body 10 will be turned slightly to one side or in the position shown in Fig. 3. As the movement continues the body 10 will be turned to a still greater angle, as in Fig. 1, which will cause the member 17 to assume the position shown in Fig. I, having been checked in its swinging motion by the stop 19 or at an angle to the line of movement, which will throw the member '17 over against the other stop, 18, as in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and likewise throw the member 1;) and its fin 16 over into the opposite position and cause the body 10 to swing over into the opposite position, as in Fig. 5, and so on. As the movement continues the body 10 is caused to pursue a uniform Zigzag course closely resembling the wiggling movements of a live minnow and deceiving the larger fish, who in attempting to swallow it are caught by the hooks ll.

The device is very simple in construction, can be manufactured at small expense, and formed to resemble any species of small fish or minnow required.

l-laving thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. An artificial bait comprising a body having a laterally-swinging member at the rear end provided with a forwardly-extending fin, and a forwardly-extending tail-simulating member mounted to swing from the free end of said swinging member.

2. Anartificial bait comprising a body havinga laterally-swinging member at the rear end provided with a forwardly-extending fin, a forwardly-extending tail-simulating member mounted to swing from the free end of said swinging member, and spaced stops carried by said swinging member to limit the lateral movement of said tail-simulating memher.

3. An artificial bait comprising a body having a forwardly-extending fin mounted to swing laterally, and a forwardly-extending tail-simulating member mounted to swing laterally.

4. An artificial bait comprising a body having a vertically-disposed member mounted to swing laterally at the rear end and provided with a forwardly-extending fin, and a tailsimulating member mounted to swing from the rear end of said swinging member and extending forwardly of the same.

5. -An artificial bait comprising a body having a vertically-disposed member mounted to swing laterally at the rear end and provided with a forwardly-extending fin, a tail-simulating member mounted to swing from the rear end of said swinging member and extending forwardly of the same, and spaced stops carried by said swinging member to limit the lateral movement of said tail-simulating memher.

6. An artificial bait comprising a body having spaced staples in its rear end, an open frame mounted to swing laterally in said staples and provided with a forwardly-extending fin, a tail-simulating member mounted to swing from the rear of said frame and extending forwardly therein, and spaced stops carried by said frame for limiting the lateral movement of said tail-simulating fin.

7. An artificial bait comprising a body having a laterally -swinging tail member and means operated by the passage of the bait through the water to shift the tail member and change the direction of movement of the body.

8. An artificial bait comprising a body having a laterally-swinging tail member and a movable fin member connected to the tail member for shifting the latter.

9. An artificial bait comprising a body having a vertically disposed frame member mounted to swing upon an upright axis at the rear of the body, a fin carried by the frame and projected forwardly from the axis thereof, and a tail member mounted to swing upon a vertical axis upon the rear of the frame with its free end portion extending forwardly from its axis.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own 1 have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY SMlTH.

\Vitnesses:

R. P. DRYER, S. K. RUIoK. 

